Hi all,
I'm travelling to the Sth Island of New Zealand in Sept this year (1st time in NZ) and we'll be doing the motorhome/self drive thing around the sth island over 3weeks. I'm based in Perth, Western Australia where it is typically dry, sunny and flat and I know enough about NZ to know that I face a few new challenges compared to where I normally shoot landscapes. I'm expecting the sheer size/scale of the place to be hard to capture, also the weather conditions will be challenging as at that time of year I'm expecting lots of snow/ice (bad for highlight blowout), rain and fog... The style of photography I'm most interested in is landscapes and in particular panoramic format landscapes (using a tripod and pano head).
I'm after any advice/tips people may have on shooting NZ locations, NZ landscapes (or other locations with similar geology) etc. How do I best capture the size/scale/grandeur? Tips for exposure metering when shooting scenes like; lake reflections or mountains with bright snow peaks but dark bases, low/bad light conditions?
Equipment I'm taking is NikonD200 with 18-200VR lens (I also have a 90mm Tamron Macro lens but not sure if I'll take it yet - could be good for some family portrait shots on location). I have a Manfrotto tripod (MF55) with ball head and I also use a NodalNinja panohead. I'll also take SB600 flash, polariser and 3stop ND filter (for long exposures of waterfalls etc), shutter release cable etc. Storage wise I'll use 2 x 2Gb cards and always carry two data storage devices (card reader and a Jobo Gigaviewvu Evolution).
I was thinking about trying to get some funds together to buy myself the Nikon 12-24mm wide angle lens (or possible the cheaper Tokina alternative) as I thought that might help with capturing some of the size etc..
If it helps with offering advice the major locations we're going to/through are; Arthurs Pass, Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers, Lake Matheson at Fox Glacier for some mountain reflection shots, Wanaka, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Queenstown, Mt Cook, Dunedin, Christchurn and possibly Hanmer Springs.
Cheers tony
Tony Budge Photography
My PhotoBlog
Full Version: New Zealand - Looking for tips and advice
I think your lens choice should cover most situations. I do find longer lenses rather useful in the Alps to isolating distant changing light.
September weather is unpredictable. Nor west winds tend to more common in the Spring which means rain in the west and wind in the east. You shouldn’t have too many problems with snow and ice at this time of year on the roads. However if you are hiking in the mountains watch out for Spring avalanches.
Don’t forget to be kitted out for wet weather shooting especially on the West Coast and Fiordland.
Dave
Dunedin, NZ
www.magiclight.co.nz
September weather is unpredictable. Nor west winds tend to more common in the Spring which means rain in the west and wind in the east. You shouldn’t have too many problems with snow and ice at this time of year on the roads. However if you are hiking in the mountains watch out for Spring avalanches.
Don’t forget to be kitted out for wet weather shooting especially on the West Coast and Fiordland.
Dave
Dunedin, NZ
www.magiclight.co.nz
Just some miscellaneous thoughts on the topics you've asked about...
I've been driving around much of the south island, and thought that the most spectacular part was actually the mountains on the drive between Te Anau and Milford Sound. If there trails aren't icy, both ends of the Routeburn track (especially if one hikes an hour or two in, if I recall correctly) were spectacular.
I found Arthur's Pass to be somewhat underwhelming compared with the west coast glaciers and the southern mountain & fjord areas, but on the way there is a place called Castle Hill Basin with amusing and extremely photogenic huge boulders eroded into weird shapes, with occasional rock climbers practicing. It's just off the road, and works well for a short stop even if you don't have much time there.
I currently use the same D200/18-200VR combo you do, and I expect it will be all you'll want for landscapes. To capture sweeping vistas, using the pano head and stitching together multiple shots should avoid the need for any additional ultra-wide lens. Regarding low light conditions, recently I accidently took a few outdoor images at ISO 1000 (I had forgotten to set it back to 100 after setting it to 1000 for low-light indoor use), and was very surprised that the noise was barely noticeable - not even enough to be worth using a noise-reduction plug-in on it.
Re photographing lake reflections, keep in mind that the polarizer can not only be used to eliminate reflections, but the opposite setting can be used to somewhat enhance reflections.
Re high-contrast conditions, you can take multiple exposures (using a tripod) and use digital blending (tutorial somewhere on this site if you haven't already done that).
Oh, and watch out for the voracious flightless mountain parrots (really!) when you stop your vehicle by the side of the road in the southern mountain areas. They are known for eating car rubber stripping, hiking boots, and most anything else they can get ahold of. We had a pack of them descend on our car in one roadside turnout, with one trying to get at the rubber stripping and another on our car hood trying to peck through the windshield to get at our leather gloves on the dashboard! They are difficult to scare off - we just got rapidly in the car and got out of there. Worse than the worst parts of New York!
Lisa
I've been driving around much of the south island, and thought that the most spectacular part was actually the mountains on the drive between Te Anau and Milford Sound. If there trails aren't icy, both ends of the Routeburn track (especially if one hikes an hour or two in, if I recall correctly) were spectacular.
I found Arthur's Pass to be somewhat underwhelming compared with the west coast glaciers and the southern mountain & fjord areas, but on the way there is a place called Castle Hill Basin with amusing and extremely photogenic huge boulders eroded into weird shapes, with occasional rock climbers practicing. It's just off the road, and works well for a short stop even if you don't have much time there.
I currently use the same D200/18-200VR combo you do, and I expect it will be all you'll want for landscapes. To capture sweeping vistas, using the pano head and stitching together multiple shots should avoid the need for any additional ultra-wide lens. Regarding low light conditions, recently I accidently took a few outdoor images at ISO 1000 (I had forgotten to set it back to 100 after setting it to 1000 for low-light indoor use), and was very surprised that the noise was barely noticeable - not even enough to be worth using a noise-reduction plug-in on it.
Re photographing lake reflections, keep in mind that the polarizer can not only be used to eliminate reflections, but the opposite setting can be used to somewhat enhance reflections.
Re high-contrast conditions, you can take multiple exposures (using a tripod) and use digital blending (tutorial somewhere on this site if you haven't already done that).
Oh, and watch out for the voracious flightless mountain parrots (really!) when you stop your vehicle by the side of the road in the southern mountain areas. They are known for eating car rubber stripping, hiking boots, and most anything else they can get ahold of. We had a pack of them descend on our car in one roadside turnout, with one trying to get at the rubber stripping and another on our car hood trying to peck through the windshield to get at our leather gloves on the dashboard! They are difficult to scare off - we just got rapidly in the car and got out of there. Worse than the worst parts of New York!
Lisa
We did a similar trip, mid Jan - mid Feb. 2007. Although we had some rain, the weather was mostly fine. Though I am no expert, I assume that you will get a lot more cloudy, rainy weather. I found graduated neutral density filters to be very useful; I recommend them to you. Without the pano, the 18 mm will be a little tight. Add Lake Tekapo to your itinerary; it is an amazing site and just a couple of hours drive from Mt. Cook National Park.
We did enjoy Te Anou and Milford Sound, but it was not the high point of our tour. Your wide-scale photography will be dependent on the weather, so I think you need an alternate plan: Along the road from Te Anou to Milford are many easily accessible forest areas. The trees, rocks and fallen logs are spectacular and covered in velvety moss. I would plan to make capturing this feature a photographic goal. Even in the rain; maybe especially in the rain. I would bring an umbrella and covering for the camera to allow work under such conditions. Boots will be essential.
In the Queesntown area, add Glen Orchy for stunning scenery. Add Nugget Point in the Caitlins.
You probably know that to first approximation, the South Island has but one road. Well, let's make that one paved road. Once you get off the main road, you are quickly faced with what are called unsealed (dirt) roads. In Jan-Feb., these were mostly in good condition. But in September, you need to prepare for worse conditions. It would be a shame to be limited to the main road; I am not sure how the camper van would do in the mud. By the way, for an American used to traffic jams, it was great. Sometimes we drove for 15-20 minutes on the main road without seeing a car.
Hope this helps
We did enjoy Te Anou and Milford Sound, but it was not the high point of our tour. Your wide-scale photography will be dependent on the weather, so I think you need an alternate plan: Along the road from Te Anou to Milford are many easily accessible forest areas. The trees, rocks and fallen logs are spectacular and covered in velvety moss. I would plan to make capturing this feature a photographic goal. Even in the rain; maybe especially in the rain. I would bring an umbrella and covering for the camera to allow work under such conditions. Boots will be essential.
In the Queesntown area, add Glen Orchy for stunning scenery. Add Nugget Point in the Caitlins.
You probably know that to first approximation, the South Island has but one road. Well, let's make that one paved road. Once you get off the main road, you are quickly faced with what are called unsealed (dirt) roads. In Jan-Feb., these were mostly in good condition. But in September, you need to prepare for worse conditions. It would be a shame to be limited to the main road; I am not sure how the camper van would do in the mud. By the way, for an American used to traffic jams, it was great. Sometimes we drove for 15-20 minutes on the main road without seeing a car.
Hope this helps
Hi guys,
thanks for your advice and tips. I'll digest them between now and when I go to try and come up with a plan of attack.
cheers tony
thanks for your advice and tips. I'll digest them between now and when I go to try and come up with a plan of attack.
cheers tony
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